Finding out that I have BAV disease and an aortic aneurysm was a shock. I was already pretty well shook up after meeting with the surgeon even before this latest news. At least he prepared me somewhat when he told me that he thought I did have a BAV and that it was missed previously. I've since found out that this happens a lot with bicuspid valves because they are challenging to spot on echos.
It's normal and human to have an emotional response to this kind of news, and I'm just like anyone else in that respect. The other day I wrote to a friend who has been very supportive. I told her about our weekend trip to Florida. Some of my emotions came through in that email:
"I did my first ever snorkeling in Key Largo over 30 years ago. I was still married to my wife then. We were in Miami for some sort of convention that she was attending. She was, believe it or not, a surgical nurse and assisted in open heart surgeries! Poor woman, she used to come home a basket case because back then in the early 70s so many more patients died. Anyway, going back out on that reef once again more than 30 years after my first visit was something of an emotional homecoming for me, actually. Well, I'm more emotional these days as you can imagine, and the trip to the reef triggered a lot of strong feelings and memories. I felt like it was the other bookend to my adult life in some respects, if you know what I mean. That hour I spent out there in the crystal clear, warm water enjoying all the beautiful fish and corals was just an indescribably intense emotional experience for me. I was so relaxed as the waves gently washed over me. I hated to get back on the boat when the hour was over. I'm hoping I'll get another chance to do something similar in the future."
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